EASIEST NEUTRAL SMOKY EYE & WINGED LINER TUTORIAL

Hey guys!

This is a totally impromptu, unplanned tutorial, but this morning I woke up really wanting to do a full face of makeup, and I knew I wanted a smoky eye and winged liner. By the time I was done, I really loved the way it came out, so I figured I would share with you how I achieved the look! It was super easy to do, and there’s no false lashes involved (unless you want to, of course! Do you, boo!).

If you want to see how I got this look, keep on reading!

---

Starting with MAC Pro Longwear Concealer in NW20, I’m using this to prime my lids for shadow. It evens out any discoloration on the lids, and creates a tacky surface for your shadows to stick to, and it won’t crease. I applied this all the way from lash line to brow bone before going in with my first shadow.

Next, I used a Morphe M330 to pick up a little bit of ‘Cupcake‘ by Makeup Geek, which is a gorgeous dusty rose shade, and worked that into the crease. Just keep buffing it until there are no harsh lines, and feel free to build it to your desired intensity.

Now, with the same brush I picked up ‘Creme Brûlée‘, also by Makeup Geek, because I wanted to bring back some warmth, and working with pinks alone can be tricky; if you’re not careful, you can end up looking like you have pink eye. I applied this shade right over ‘Cupcake’ using the same buffing motion.

Grabbing a smaller pencil brush like a Morphe M169, I picked up a little bit of MAC ‘Swiss Chocolate‘ and worked that into the outer V of the eye, and dragged it a little bit through the crease for some dimension. If you find that it’s not blending enough, you can buff it out with your fluffier brush like I did.

Taking my Morphe M160 1/8 Angled Liner Brush, and my Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Liner in ‘Blackest Black’, I created a semi-thin line across the upper lash line, and then a rather dramatic wing (at least for me). If you’re someone who struggles with their winged liner, check out my tutorial by clicking here! Once my wings were even, I applied a couple coats of Maybelline Volum’ Express The Falsies Mascara in ‘Blackest Black’ to my top lashes, and filled in my brows (click here for my brow routine).

Once I have my face makeup in place (you know, foundation, concealer, powder, etc.), I’m going to pick up some more of the ‘Swiss Chocolate’ by MAC on a Morphe M432 (any flat definer brush will work just fine), and press that into my lower lash line from outer corner to inner corner, and then buff it out with ‘Creme Brûlée’ by Makeup Geek on my pencil brush. Then I applied mascara to my bottom lashes, and popped some BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector in ‘Opal’ under my brows and on the inner corner of my eyes with a Morphe E36.

---

And that’s it! If you want to see everything I used on the rest of my face, click here to jump to my MOTD post linked to this one!

Come follow me around social media!
Twitter, Pinterest & Instagram : @dlynnesposito
Facebook : Affordable Gorgeous
Snapchat : dlynnesposito

And feel free to reblog this post and share my social media with your friends! Your support means so much!

LOTS OF LOVE!!

CORAL & PURPLE EYE MAKEUP TUTORIAL

 It’s finally getting warmer! Well, kind of. I mean, it is New England, so there’s always a chance of snow.

But with the warmer weather on the horizon, I’m finally feeling inspired to do spring makeup looks! And I told you guys awhile back that I was looking to step out of my comfort zone and incorporate some color, so that’s exactly what I’m going to do today!

If you want to see how I created this look, then just keep reading!

---

 

Because I’m working with such bright colors and such heavily pigmented shadows, I’m starting with the eyes. First I primed them with some MAC Pro Longwear Concealer ($21) in NW15, and then using a Morphe M209 ($2.99), I’m going to set the entire lid with Makeup Geek Beaches & Cream ($6), which is basically the same color as my skin. Not only with it set the concealer/primer, but it will ensure that the brighter shadows I put on top blend much easier.

Taking a Morphe M504 ($6.99), which is a large, pointed blending brush, I’m going to apply some Makeup Geek Mango Tango ($6), which is a bright, matte, coral shade, and buff it into the crease. Back and forth, in windshield wiper motions, focusing most of the pigment on the outer corner, and then working it inward as the product starts to leave the brush.

 

 

Next, with a Morphe M330 ($5.99), which is a smaller tapered blending brush, I’m going to apply some Makeup Geek Wisteria ($6) primarily into the outer corner of the crease at first, and then again, bringing it inward as there’s less product on the brush. Keep it low in the crease, so you keep that gradient, transitional effect between the colors. If you find that your lines are too harsh, just buff over the colors with a clean blending brush until they disappear.

 

Now, I’m going to deepen up the outer ‘V’ using a Morphe Single Eyeshadow in Aphrodite ($2.29). First, I applied it with a Morphe M169 ($2.29) (any pencil brush will do just fine), and then blended the lines and buffed it inward a bit with the M330 that I applied Wisteria with.

 

 

Next, using the Makeup Geek Foiled Eyeshadow in Daydreamer ($10), I’m going to pat it on the lid with my finger. I find that these apply best that way, and that I get more color payoff than with any brush in my collection. I apply that from the inner corner outward, about two thirds of my lid.

 

 

Using another Makeup Geek Foiled Eyeshadow, In The Spotlight ($10), I again applied it by patting it on with my finger, but this time keeping it to the inner third of my lid. The brighter shade on the inner corner works to brighten the eyes and make them look larger, much like highlighting the inner corners; its the inner corner highlight on steroids, if you will.

 

 

Now it’s time to slay that winged liner! Using my go-to eyeliner brush, the Morphe M160 1/8 ($2.99), and my Maybelline Eyestudio Gel Liner in Blackest Black ($9.99), I’m going to create a nice, sharp wing, and keep the line a little on the thin side. I don’t want dramatic liner with this look (although you can if you want to!) because I really want to let the shadows steal the show! If you need a little help with your winged liner, click here for my winged liner tutorial!

 

I decided to skip falsies today *gasp* and instead, applied some Tarte Opening Act Lash Primer ($22) to my lashes before applying two coats of Maybelline The Falsies Mascara in Blackest Black ($6.99). Then, using a Morphe E36 brush, I applied some Makeup Geek Shimma Shimma ($6) and MAC Nylon ($6) to the inner corner and brow bone for a nice, soft highlight.

 

For the bottom lash line, I applied some Makeup Geek Wisteria to the outer half, and Mango Tango to the inner half, both with a Morphe M432 Flat Definer brush ($3.99), and then just blended them together with a M169.

 

 

---

And thats it! I know it seems like a lot of work, and you may even be looking at these colors thinking “there’s no way I can pull that off” but trust me, you can!! After all, it’s just makeup, and if you don’t like it, it wipes right off!!

I was never someone who wore anything besides neutrals; browns, beiges, etc. And they were all matte. But I’m really enjoying playing around with color!

Do you guys tend to gravitate towards more neutral looks, or more colorful looks? What are your favorite color combos? Leave me a comment and let me know! I love to hear from you!

Come follow me around on social media!
Twitter, Pinterest & Instagram : @dlynnesposito
Facebook : Affordable Gorgeous
Snapchat : dlynnesposito

And feel free to reblog this post and share my social media with your friends! Your support means so much!

LOTS OF LOVE!!

REVIEW – e.l.f. CREAM EYELINER

 It’s like it happened in slow-mo….up in the air, and face down onto the floor. Cap missing. Dirty, totally unsalvageable.

I’m talking about my eyeliner. My trusty, ride or die Maybelline Eyestudio Gel Liner in Blackest Black. But let me back up a bit….

About two weeks ago, my little pot of liner hit the floor. The cap disappeared, and it managed to land upside down and end up with carpet fibers and dust inside of it, which despite my best efforts (and searching desperately for the cap to no avail) I couldn’t save it. And of course, it happened right in the middle of a tutorial. During a financially crappy week, at that.

So a few days later, after searching online reviews for another, slightly more affordable gel liner, I bit the bullet and bought the e.l.f. Cream Eyeliner, which retails for just $3 at my local CVS, as well as http://www.elfcosmetics.com.

Here’s what e.l.f. has to say:

The cream formula creates smooth lines that are defined and precise. Smudge-proof, budge-proof and water-resistant coverage for all day wear to combat against sweat, tears or rain! Achieve thin or bold lines with ease. Slanted Eyeliner Brush included.

So how did it do? Let’s find out!

---

PACKAGING

 

 It comes in a small, square glass jar, with a square, black, plastic lid with the name of the product printed on top. While it did come with a brush, it was awfully tiny (short), and I immediately tossed it in the trash.

FORMULA

They aren’t kidding when they call it a cream eyeliner – it’s definitely creamy. However, being used to the stiffer, slightly drier consistency of the Maybelline product, I find this quite difficult to work with. It loads nicely onto an angled liner brush, but because it’s so creamy, I find that I have trouble controlling the brush. The liner I’m used to working with, because it’s far less creamy, seems to keep the brush hairs together better.

APPLICATION & WEAR

Alright, so I kind of gave it away by describing the formula. As I mentioned, I had a lot of trouble controlling this product. It also seems to take a few minutes to truly dry down and set in place, which can mean big time transferring issues if you have hooded eyes like I do.
Another thing I wasn’t crazy about was that, while in the pot it’s very, very black (which is nice), once you begin to trace it along the lash line, it kind of thins out and gets streaky. I found that I had apply at least three coats before it reached the opacity I wanted.
Once it finally sets, however, it does stay in place. For the hell of it, I drew a ‘wing’ on the back of my hand, and it stayed put with minimal fading for almost two days.
It might be ok for someone without hooded eyes, who wants to simply define the eyes. But when I tried to draw a nice, sharp wing, it was no where near as precise as I would have liked – and trying to sharpen it with a makeup wipe, Q-tip, or concealer was just a mess.

Overall Rating : 2.5/5

---

Honestly, I’ll probably pass this on to my sister, as she has big, round eyes and could probably use this with no trouble.
And lesson learned; next time I won’t be so frugal, and I’ll just buy the damn liner that I love!

Have any of you guys tried this product? What are your thoughts? Leave me a comment and let me know!

Come follow me around social media!
Twitter, Pinterest & Instagram : @dlynnesposito
Facebook : Affordable Gorgeous
Snapchat : dlynnesposito

And feel free to reblog and share my social media with your friends! Your support means so much!

LOTS OF LOVE!!

DRUGSTORE FAVORITES : EYELINERS

I feel like eyeliner is something I rarely talk about. Considering it’s one of the makeup items that most people wouldn’t dream of skipping, I thought today I would sit down and talk about some of my favorites!

I’ve mentioned in previous posts that eyeliner is one of the things I struggled with for a very long time. Finding the right formula, the right method/tools for application, the perfect trick for no-fail, sharp, even winged liner. After awhile I realized that I was avoiding it because I struggled with all those things.

So after probably about $100 spent on eyeliner alone, I’ve narrowed it down to 3 products that I can count on for the perfect look every time, and I want to share them with you! Because I’m sure somewhere out there, someone is just as frustrated as I used to be!

So let’s get into it!

L’OREAL PARIS THE SUPER SLIM BY INFALLIBLE EYELINER ($7.99)

  There are so many things I love about this liner. It’s so easy to use, it has a super fine point 0.4mm felt tip applicator which is great for a slim line and a decent wing, it dries fast and matte, and it doesn’t budge. It also doesn’t skip, drag, or tug on the eye like some others. I recommend this to everyone who asks for a good liquid liner that’s easy to use!

MAYBELLINE EYE STUDIO LASTING DRAMA GEL LINER ($7.94)

  I have this in the shade ‘Blackest Black’, and it truly is the blackest black gel liner I’ve ever seen in my life. Hands down. It’s smudge proof and waterproof for up to 24 hours, and I can attest to that claim because silly me chose to wear this on my oily eye lids on one of the hottest and most humid days of the year (to an outdoor wedding) and by the end of the night, it was pretty much the only makeup left on my face! It comes with a little brush in the package, but I threw it out. It did nothing for me. I prefer to use this with my Morphe M160 1/8 Angle Liner Brush ($2.99) to get a cut-a-bitch wing and the sharpest, smoothest line possible. They’re like, a match made in makeup heaven.

RIMMEL LONDON SCANDALEYES WATERPROOF KOHL KAJAL EYELINER ($4.99)

  Waterproof kohl eyeliners are great for lining your water line for that smokey look, but this one in particular I like for the lower lash line, because of how easily it blends out. I personally never line my water line unless its with the Nude shade from this line (which makes the eyes look bigger) but to really draw attention to my eyes I like to run this on the outer third of my eye, and then blend it out with a medium, taupey brown shadow and a pencil brush. This claims to be an “ultra-smooth & creamy formula that glides on easily; waterproof, smudge-proof, sweat-proof, heat-proof, humidity-proof and scandal- proof” liner – all good things in my book!

---

I hope you guys enjoyed this post, and maybe found a few new products you’d like to try out for yourself! Have you used any of these? Let me know in the comments below!

And if you aren’t already, please go follow me on Twitter and Instagram @dlynnesposito, and go like the Affordable Gorgeous page on Facebook! Your support means so much!

LOTS OF LOVE!